A Past in Conkram
by LegaianForever
Summary: A take on the years leading up to the spread of the Mist, detailing the corruption of Cort by Rogue, the betrayal of the Wise Men, the aftermath of the first fiasco with the Mist, and all the drama in between. Still in Progress!  New chapter up!
1. A Future King

**I've been working on some Legend of Legaia fan art over the past few months and I've been hoping to write this fan fiction for a while. I tried to gather as much canon information as the game could give to build a story around, but it wasn't much, so all the more room to be creative . Obviously the characters of Legend of Legaia do not belong to me, they belong to Contrail. Any of you Legaia fans still out there, please tell me what you think! **

The high, white city of Conkram was bedecked with flower and decorations; the air itself tasted like nectar. Merry, festive music filled the streets, sweet to the ears, making hearts light and gay. Celebrations were rare in Conkram as the years had progressed into the war with the southern city of Sol, but today was an exception, and the people were happy for a day to relax and celebrate a joyous occasion for the entire kingdom, even though a royal birthday party did seem frivolous to some.

But many were eager to celebrate Prince Cort as he came of age. The Prince of Conkram was a brilliant young man who exuded power though he lacked the lion-like stature his father the king possessed. Prince Cort was tall and slender, with a long face and pointed nose like his mother. He did not smile often, but many could say that they saw him brooding, a scowl on his face as he thought deeply of science and philosophy and religion. Yet his most outstanding feature was his eyes, one blue and one violet, most unusual since both of his parents had emerald green eyes. He was an intense fellow in conversation, polite but powerful and succinct. He was well-liked and many looked forward to the day that he became king; some even wished for King Nebular's retirement so that Cort could take over and lead the kingdom to peace with his innovative ideas. They looked up to him. They were counting on him. And today he was no longer a child, he was a man.

Cort was, characteristically, brooding. He sat in his chambers and frowned at the floor, though it was not the floor he was concentrating on with such a fixed look of general distaste. He was thinking rather of the people who waited outside of the castle walls in the city streets, with flowers and decorations and music and good food. It was frivolous for him to have such a large celebration when the kingdom was at war. The money could be much better spent on improving defense, on supplying the soldiers, but the citizens wanted to celebrate, to forget. And his father was allowing this, for them to forget the suffering outside of their walls for a whole day, to waste money in this manner. He did not want a party, and he did not want to appear before all of his future subjects so they could speculate his future rule, if he would be better than his father.

It was while he thought deeply that he dozed, ever so briefly, thinking about Seru. In his light sleep he had a ghost of a dream, of some wonderful light before him, and a voice, androgynous and beautiful.

"Prince Cort, you are made for great things in this human world," the voice stated, "The Seru-kai waits to see the great things you will do. The world was made to be yours. Are you prepared?"

And as soon as the dream was upon him it was gone, flitting away as his door opened and Zeto rushed in, his red and black cloaks swishing vigorously behind his quick pace. Zeto's dark brows were knitted together over harsh blue eyes that had many lines under them for his age of thirty-three. Today his dark hair was slicked oddly, more oddly than usual, as if he were trying to make it neater and tame his curls more than he physically could. Even when Zeto smiled he looked angry. Cort admired this.

Zeto spoke, his voice deep but quiet, "Prince, the King sent me to fetch you. He wishes to present you to the people. Are you prepared?"

Cort blinked. Something Zeto said sounded oddly familiar. Had he just had a dream? A trance? From Tieg?

"My lord?" Zeto spoke again. Perhaps Cort had paused for longer than he realized.

Cort nodded, "Yes, Secretary."

In the walk down the stairs and hall, Zeto seemed uncomfortable in the silence between him and Cort. He continuously glanced over to Cort, the lines under his eyes looking all the more pronounced.

"Have you been enjoying the festivities?" Cort asked, hoping that the odd look on Zeto's face would subside in conversation.

"I haven't had a chance to leave the castle yet, my lord, but I most certainly will after the King's speech," Zeto attempted a smile, but it made his eyes look all the more unnatural. He pressed on his hair, as if trying to flatten it even more, if that wear possible. It was impossible to tell that the hair had been considerably wavier that morning, and the flat shell of hair that Zeto now had made his appearance all the more odd than the forced smile had.

Just before the door, Zeto asked, "Are you excited? To finally be able to have some real influence on how things are done around here? In the war?" he paused, "You can do great things."

There it was again. Cort felt something bizarre in his spine, like invisible claws digging into his back, but the familiarity of words left him as soon as it had struck him. He did not answer Zeto's question. He did not point out that Zeto had not addressed him by proper title. It didn't matter, anyway. The doors opened. It was loud outside.

Cort's father was standing not far from him, on the steps that led from the castle to the city. The crowd swarmed below, a hoard of faceless people cheering and waiting to see their future king appear before them for the first time as a man. Cort did not feel nervous – he could not feel nervous when all he could think about was the trance, of what the message was, if there even was a message or a trance.

He was now standing right next to his father. His father's hand was on his shoulder, the other arm outstretched as he boomed a speech to the waiting people below. King Nebular looked something like a lion, and had a voice to match; his brown beard and hair were a noble, slightly graying mane around his bold, square jaw and brow. His eyebrows were thick over his green eyes and long, flat nose. His voice echoed when he spoke, he roared when he laughed and when he yelled, he bellowed when he was angered. Cort looked at his father's outstretched arm. Beneath the long purple sleeve King Nebular had thick, stocky arms with an unruly layer of hair on them. His entire body was boxlike and squared, and he was tall and robust and intimidating. Cort knew how awkward he must look next to the booming giant that was his father; Cort was tall like him, but was thin and pale, with long slate colored hair and strange eyes. He did not look sickly, but he did not look like a beast in a purple dress robe either.

He looked over at his mother, standing a few feet off to Nebular's other side, slightly behind him, looking on with proud and caring eyes. Mother was sweet and like a bird. She also had green eyes, big and wide and shining, and red hair, long and flowing. She smiled at Cort when he caught her eye.

Cort refocused his attention elsewhere, now to the people he might know in the crowd. His father was still going on about something next to him, but he had tuned that out. Instead he was looking at two people who moved through the crowd constantly near the steps. The third of them was off to the side, ready to jump to defend the King. The two moving through the crowd looked drastically different from each other. One was a short young woman, his age, with a shock of magenta hair and matching eyes. She walked with a swagger, waving her hips about even when she was clearly working. Several of the men she passed stared or smiled at her or made some remark that made her smile and blush. The other, her brother, was immense and muscular and wide as a wall. His skin was tanner than his sibling, and his blond hair was a mo-hawk. He was brutish and ugly, but several of the wealthier women that he passed gave him secret smiles when he passed, smiles that he would not return until it was dark.

The third sibling and bodyguard, the one off to the side, was also very different in appearance from his two siblings. He was tall, slim, but toned, with reddish eyes and brown spiked hair. His chin and nose were both very pointed, and he was definitely much more attractive than his gorilla of an older brother, easily the male counterpart of his pretty, curvy younger sister. It was obvious that Lu Delilas went to great lengths to draw attention to herself with makeup and perfumes and clothes that emphasized her assets. Gi Delilas needed to do nothing to easily be the most handsome man present in the city, yet somehow his foul elitist brother Che Delilas had more of a reputation as a womanizer. Cort smirked at how strange the family was.

Cort then heard his father say something that was unpleasant for him to hear.

"And now our High Priest will bless this occasion with praise to Tieg," King Nebular announced.

The High Priest was a tall stick of a woman who wore a puffed out dress to make it appear as if she had hips under there somewhere. Like Lu Delilas, the High Priest Zora also wore a lot of makeup and perfume, but to a much greater extent, so much that Cort wanted to gag when he smelled her nearby. Her voice, like her perfume, was disgustingly sweet, high and light and obnoxious in every way. Her purple makeup matched her purple, feathery hair and her purple fingernails on long, thin fingers. She spread out her hands and looked up into the sky, or at least pretended to. Zora's face tilted up, but her gaze remained fixed on Cort, leering at him. She made him sick, and she adored him.

Zora called on Tieg to bless and watch over Cort in his future endeavors as he strove to be the next great ruler of the blessed city of Conkram.

After Zora's prayer, King Nebular spoke again, and now Cort listened, out of other things to focus on.

The King said, with a voice full of pride, "Prince Cort, my son, it is time for your mother and I to present you with a long overdue present. May you make all of the progress with it that we hope you will."

Queen Minea spoke with a beautiful voice, "Cort, the laboratory beneath the castle that Court Scientist Jette works in is now yours to work with as you please. Jette will assist you in your work there."

Cort genuinely smiled now. He had worked with Jette several times before in the big laboratory beneath the castle, and now it was his, and Jette was _his_ assistant. He could feel greatness in his fingertips now; he could taste it on the tip of his tongue. Jette was now standing next to him, and they shock hands, both happy with the situation. Jette was Cort's height and had a long, narrow face and beak of a nose and red hair that stuck out behind him in spikes. He was a brilliant man and would probably have to teach Cort a lot about the laboratory before he could truly run it by himself, and Cort looked forward to learning from him.

Father spoke a little while longer while Cort fantasized about the waiting laboratory. If only he could escape to it now...

But now the real celebrations were beginning; people were eating and drinking and dancing and singing in the streets, and Cort, his family, and the other officials went out into the crowd to socialize and speculate about Cort and the wonderful things he would make for Conkram in the laboratory that was now his.

Cort caught up to Jette quickly before he disappeared into the street, "I'm really looking forward to working with you from now on," he said, meaning every word.

Jette smiled, "Likewise, my lord. This city is lucky to have your brilliant mind. You'll do great things with the resources we have. I have an interesting gift for you waiting in the lab whenever you're ready to head down. Enjoy your party, Prince Cort, and I'll see you later," he shook Cort's hand again; his hands were rough and calloused from his work. Cort wanted to have hands like that one day.

Cort hoped to find Gi next, but didn't need to – Gi found him, smiling and playfully punching at his shoulder, "Hey, sparring buddy," Gi started, then realizing the present surroundings he straightened up to look more official, "Greetings, Prince Cort," he said, though there was a hidden tone of humor in the official address, "How goes being a man, my lord?"

Chuckling, Cort replied, "If I make it through the next few hours alive, I'll tell you."

"Well it's a good thing that you have me as your personal guard today, so you'll most likely still be in one piece by the end of the day."

"Maybe you can help keep me sane instead. I'm worried these fake smiles are going to get stuck on my face at some point. I don't even know who these people I'm greeting are. You know any of them?"

Gi scoffed, "Are you kidding? If Che saw me socializing with commoners he'd crush my head in."

"And somehow you'd manage to slit his throat at the same time, then we'd have to find two new bodyguards."

"True. And they don't make bodyguards like us anymore. The Delilases are a unique brand of fighters."

Cort laughed, "Maybe some Biron monks then?"

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm not being serious. You, my good man, are completely irreplaceable, as a friend and as a fighter."

Gi smiled, a beam of pride quickly flashing across his face, "You mean that?"

"Absolutely," Cort paused, "So how are your siblings, anyway? Looks like Lu is enjoying the party."

Cort could see Lu across the way, a gaggle of men following her and Queen Minea as they went about. Lu was constantly laughing or smiling about something, happy for the attention paid to her, though a good deal of the attention was fixed on queen Minea's simpler, cleaner beauty. King Nebular and Che were not far from Minea and Lu, and Nebular would join his wife in conversation occasionally between their separate social interactions. They would hold hands, still fairly young and completely in love. Nebular's age showed more than that of his lovely wife, certainly from the stress of the long war with Sol. Cort had not seen him smile much in the past few months, but he was certainly glowing today, proud of his family and their achievements.

"Lu and Che are well enough. You know that Lu came of age a few months ago and has quite a few suitors already."

"Do you think she'll be married soon?"

"I think she's enjoying having so many worshipers too much to bind herself to just one so soon," Gi laughed, though the thought of Lu courting and marrying appeared to trouble him beneath his jovial smile. She was a tough fighter who could fend for herself, but she was also his younger sister, and he felt instinctively protective of her.

Gi was quick to change the subject now, "I overheard Jette talking about having a present for you in the lab. Man, speaking of the lab, that is some gift. I bet you're excited."

Cort nodded vigorously, "Absolutely, it's the best thing my parents could do for me considering the times we live in and the war with Sol."

"Just don't overwork yourself, Prince," another awkward subject had come up, the war with Sol, "What do you think Jette got for you?"

Cort shrugged, "All he said was that it was 'interesting'. Maybe a new Seru specimen to work on? Some soldiers did just recently return from their mission in Uru Mais. I wouldn't be surprised if he bought some artifacts off of one of them under the King's nose. Uru Mais sounds like one hell of a place. I hope the war ends soon so I can go there and see it for myself."

He had heard so many stories of Uru Mais – tales of ghosts and unusual Seru and a big black altar to Tieg. Many said it was a gateway between the human world and the heavens.

The voice came back into his head ever so briefly, and he remembered some of what he had heard earlier.

"The Seru-kai," he muttered to himself.

"What's that about pie?" Gi asked, perking up like a dog in the presence of food.

Cort gave Gi an incredulous look and the two burst into a fit of laughter.


	2. An Egg from Heaven in the Floor

It took Cort a while to finally get away from the talkative masses; by the time he began to sneak away to the labs the sun was already beginning to set, turning the white walls of Conkram a shade of orange red. On normal occasion he would have stopped to admire the beauty of his home in the change of light, but at this moment he was in far too much of a rush to get to the laboratory.

He didn't know whether or not Jette would already be there, but he had not seen him since the conversation they had earlier that day. Jette's quarters were split with those of Zeto and Dohati while Zora split her quarters with the Delilas siblings; since Jette's rooms were en route to the laboratory, Cort figured to stop there first so he wouldn't waste his time going down all of those stairs just to find out that Jette was not there with his present.

Even before he knocked on the door he could hear Dohati and Zeto shouting about something in the common room between their sleeping chambers. Dohati and Zeto got along just fine socially, but both had the tendency to become very passionate and loud in conversation and would raise their voices at each other even when they were agreeing about something.

Dohati was shouting, apparently in argument this time, "We can't do it now, it's too early and he's to young!"

Zeto roared back, his voice smoother and deeper than Dohati's raspy wheeze, "When he's young is the perfect time! Imagine the golden age we would be led to, and all the years it would last if he started now!"

Cort knocked.

There was a silence behind the ornately carved blue door before he could hear the shuffling of robes and some books slamming, then the sound of someone coming towards the door from the other side.

"Who calls?" demanded Zeto's voice.

"Prince Cort."

There was another silence on the other side of the door before Zeto swung it open, a grin on his face that was probably meant to look friendly, but rather looked unnatural. Zeto was at his best when he was frowning.

"Prince Cort, good evening, sir! What a pleasure and honor it is to have you visit us at this hour."

Cort nodded, "Is Jette in his chambers?"

He could see the room behind Zeto. The common room the Wise Men shared was large, attractive, and well-furnished. Bookcases lined the walls, full of books both ancient and new. Cort had learned history, philosophy, and geography in this room with Dohati and Zeto over the past few years, but now his education was over, and he somewhat missed the scowling faces pouring over literature in silence by the large fireplace that was burning right now as he stood there in the threshold.

"Jette is not here right now, sir, would you like me to fetch him for you?"

"That won't be necessary."

"Would you like to come in and join Dohati and myself for a drink, my lord?"

"Perhaps later. Thank you for the invitation, Secretary."

Zeto bowed at the waist, "It is my pleasure to serve you, Prince."

Cort turned to leave and Zeto closed the door after him, so softly that it was barely audible. Since Jette was not in his room his was most likely down in the laboratory then. Cort admired how Jette never seemed to stop working. While Zeto and Dohati stopped to get drunk and shout philosophy and political theory at each other, Jette was making weapons for the war with Sol. Jette was industrious and his work saved lives out on the battlefield.

There were many stairs leading down to the laboratory. Cort spoke with the guards briefly to make sure that no one would disturb him without permission of the King or Queen, and began his descent to the beautiful machinery that was not his own.

The stairs were poorly lit, making the white marble staircase also seem black. He fixated on the steps beneath him, each seeming darker than the last. This time he could feel a presence before the voice came, closer this time.

"I can show you so many things, Prince. You have the brilliant mind and the facilities to create a solution to this war. I can show you a different world, a world where your mind will have no limits. Think of what you can create!"

And again, as soon as it was there, it was gone, like a flicker of light. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs without noticing he was staring at the floor in the entrance for longer than he should have.

He looked around the laboratory, expecting to see Jette. He could hear Jette, somewhere around the room, humming softly to himself. Then he saw a black gloved hand reach out from under the table, followed by another, and then Jette pulling his entire body out from underneath the work place. Jette had changed from the dress clothes he was wearing earlier into his lab clothes, which were dark and dirty. He wore black leather gloves and a black leather lab coat and black leather boots, and Cort could smell it in the room along with chemicals and oils and metal.

"Ah," Jette said, arching his thick red eyebrows over the goggles he was removing, "Welcome, sir! I'm glad you're finally here. Quick, grab some protective gear from the hook, I have to show you your gift."

Jette continued to hum as Cort grabbed a dark red lab coat and black gloves and goggles. Excited, he rushed quickly to see what Jette had waiting for him.

"Are you ready, my lord?" Jette asked, smiling. In the back of his mind Cort could still hear the humming as Jette spoke, as if there were two Jettes in the room.

"Yes!" Cort couldn't help but shout little, the anticipation getting to him after a long day of waiting.

Jette lifted from under the table an object that immediately made Cort step back for a moment. It looked like a fist sized mineral of some sort, and it was glowing a dazzling color, pulsating even. Cort felt dizzy and giddy just looking at the mysterious object.

"What is it?" he whispered now, as if the slightest imbalance in the room could set off this discovery.

"As you probably know, my lord, I do quite a bit of work with the people who come back from trips to Uru Mais, and this is by far the most interesting thing I've seen them bring back so far," Jette offered the glowing orb to Cort, who greedily but carefully took it away.

He instantly felt warmer and happier and safer with this stone in his grasp. He smiled and could not take his eyes away from it. It was perfection. Yet then there was another feeling he felt in its presence, a thirst, a desire. _Use it_; the thought passed through his mind – _use its power._

Jette continued, "I theorize it might be some sort of egg of a new Seru, maybe like the legendary gigantic Seru that they speak of in Ratayu.

"You mean the Juggernaut myth?"

"Right. As you know, most Seru come to this earth fully formed and ready for use. But I believe that certain special ones need to be born differently, need to develop before they can be worn and used, need to grow."

"You think there's a special Seru in here?" Cort observed the tangible joy and warmth in his hand, wondering that if Jette's theory were correct, what he needed to do to make this egg hatch, and what kind of power it might contain when the Seru was functional, "How did they come across this in Uru Mais?"

Jette smiled, ready to divulge some awesome secret, "They told me that it was like the ground had suddenly opened up, just for a moment, and there it was, the world where the Seru emerge from – heaven!"

An egg from heaven. Cort smiled and shifted its weight around in his cupped hands, admiring its constant glow.

"So what do you think we should do with it?"

Jette's brow furrowed now, "That's up to you. Part of me thinks we should take it apart, but maybe if we waited, it might prove to truly be an egg and hatch."

Cort now stood very close to Jette's face, whispering, "Make sure that no one knows of this specimen. We'll keep it hidden down here, beneath the floor. I want to study it," he backed away a little, giving Jette space to breathe, "We'll wait and see what happens. In the meantime, gather all of the information on Seru you can find. Send word to Ratayu, to my relative Van Saryu. See what he has to say about legendary Seru."

"You know that Ratayu isn't involved in this war. Van Saryu won't help you, my lord, even if he is a relative of Conkram's royal family."

"What about that crazy doctor? Ehm..."

"Dr. Usha?"

"Yes! Maybe he could help us. Send his scientists to Uru Mais to see what else they can find.

Jette nodded, "I'll have a messenger dispatched immediately, sir."

"Excellent," Cort paused, knelt, and shifted one of the metallic floor tiles that was loose, revealing a secret cache of banned books and artifacts he and Jette had hidden in the past. He wrapped the orb in a piece of cloth and gingerly placed it amongst the other items and closed the tile over it. He looked up at Jette, his hair in his face, and smiled, "Thank you for the gift. It's quite wonderful. I love a good mystery."

"I am happy that you are excited as I am about working with this specimen," Jette replied, beaming, "Are you going to retire for the evening, sir? It's getting late."

"I suppose. Zeto and Dohati invited me to drink with them earlier but I turned them down. If the invitation is still open do you want to join us?"

Jette laughed, "Why wouldn't the invitation still be open? You're our leader, Prince. You'd be invited even if they didn't request your presence."

"So you'll sit with us in the common room?"

"Absolutely, though I might turn a bit early if you all intend to go bashing about the city intoxicated."

"This is going to be so much better than that ridiculous party my parents threw today. Should we get Zora and the Delilases as well?"

Jette arched an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't like Zora."

Cort grinned, "She's very funny when she's drunk."


	3. Wind, Thunder, Fire

Cort spent most of the night with Zeto, Zora, and the Delilases. Jette had turned in early as he said he would, and Dohati was old and decided to play that as an excuse to exit the common room for some precious hours of sleep before the sun came up. Zora was giddy like a little girl and couldn't stand up for more than ten seconds at a time without stumbling over and laughing hysterically, only to yell at anyone who offered to help her back into her seat.

"Oh for the fucking name of Tieg, I can do it myself," she groaned, flustered.

Che had disappeared at some point during the night, muttering about how training began early that morning, yet Gi and Lu seemed perfectly content to stay – especially Lu. While Gi did a little dance around on the carpet, singing his rendition of a song he had heard earlier during the festivities, Lu was falling deeper and deeper into some discussion with Zeto that seemed incredibly important to both of them, though most of the conversation really wasn't making any sense. Lu laughed sweetly, blushing for furiously from combined embarrassment and alcohol, and Zeto's strange smile was even more unnerving than usual as he stared intently at Lu and she stared back.

"I think it's time we head back, Lu," Gi said shortly after he stopped his performance and noted how close Zeto and Lu were on the couch, "Che was right about having to train early tomorrow."

Lu scowled at him, her pink lips pouting, "Oh come on, you know Che is nowhere near our rooms right now. He's probably off on his nightly visits to Tieg knows where. We can stay longer, and if you don't want to stay then you can leave without me."

A deadly look passed over Gi's reddened face, but he could not force her to come. She was an adult, and he didn't have to keep an eye on here all of the time. But he refused to leave her alone like this with that creepy Zeto. Not sure about what else he could do, he gave an expectant look to Cort, raising his eyebrows as if to say, "Do something!"

Cort acknowledged Gi's mental request. He was uneasy about whatever Zeto and Lu were on about himself, "Gi, Lu," he said, trying to sound official with a slur, "I need to speak with the Secretary alone; both of you retire for the night, and I'll see you in the morning."

Lu immediately gave Gi a dirty look, but could not make the same face at Cort. He had made an order, and she could not refuse his wishes. She stood and marched out on her own without waiting for Gi.

Gi gave Cort a quick flash of a smile, quietly thanking him for helping, but he knew that Cort wouldn't be able to help every time Lu was alone with men, whether they were suitors or not.

"Goodnight, Gi," Cort said, standing, "See you in a few hours."

"Thank you, my lord," and with that Gi followed hurriedly after Lu.

When Gi had left, Cort turned to Zeto, who was looking at him expectantly with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Are you returning to your rooms, my lord?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yes, and I suggest you do the same."

"Certainly, sir. Good evening," there was a venom in Zeto's quiet, calm voice.

Cort left and managed to walk back to his own rooms without any complications due to intoxication. He wearily collapsed into bed, exhausted from the day's events, desperately wanting so sleep for just a little while.

He had not had a dream he could remember in a long while, but as he slept he could see himself seated on the throne of Conkram, the beast Juggernaut at his feet like some massive dog, obedient to his commands. And in the back of his mind there was always the egg, always present, always radiating that iridescent light.

"You are of age now," a voice said. Maybe it was coming from the egg. Maybe it was coming from all around him, or from inside of him, "You can freely decide your own fate. Tieg cannot tell you your destiny, no matter what the prophet Hari may divine. It is only you, your power."

In his sleep Cort quietly mouthed and sighed the words, "What am I to do? How can I free myself from the gods and take my power into my hands? I want to end this war."

"How?"

"Wipe Sol off the face of the earth, make it so that it never existed. Annihilate the General Gaza and the arrogant Etora."

"How?"

"We have the technology, I know we do. I need a weapon powerful enough; I need the power in that Seru egg, to use it somehow. I could end this war if I just knew how to make the most of our technology."

There was a slight whooshing sound, like multiple objects moving around Cort's head at a fast pace. He didn't know whether this was in his dream or in reality, or where the border between the two existed. He felt the wind whipping around him. Then came the crackle of electric in the air – and then there was fire.

Suddenly the voice came, three voices now, bold and booming and androgynous, "I am the great Ra-Seru, born of Tieg into this world, I reside within my Tower in the Seru-kai. I have the knowledge and secrets you desire to achieve your goals, golden Prince. The divine Ra-Seru know all that Tieg knows, and have the grand power granted by Tieg himself. I wish to give you my aid in your quest to destroy the humans of Sol – do you accept me?"

And with all of his heart, Cort screamed. No words came from his mouth, no 'yes' or 'no' was spoken, but the passionate cry was one that reached deep into the heavens, a cry for the secrets the great Ra-Seru wished to divulge.

Cort awoke screaming and thrashing, realizing that the lantern in his room had fallen to the floor and the tapestries and carpets were going up in flames, rapidly spreading towards his mattress. For a while he stared at the smoke and fire in awe, wondering if it was really the lantern that set the room ablaze; he didn't move, too tense and shocked to rush from the room to safety.

Gi and Che were the first to arrive, Che breaking down the door with a fell swoop of his hammer, Gi dashing in, quickly followed by Lu and a few soldiers who were on duty near by, now all equipped with mass amounts of water.

Gi rushed over to Cort, wondering why Cort had not moved from the bed but sat there calmly with a blank look on his face, staring into the fire that was dangerously close to his bed now.

"What the hell are you doing? Get up!" Gi screamed. Cort still didn't budge, but rather turned his gaze to Gi, his eyes wide and luminous, a smile forming just at the corner of his lips – pure glee – immediately after he returned his focus to the fire that the soldiers and Lu were struggling to put out.

Che knocked Gi out of the way and threw his hammer aside. With as much ease as he had knocked down the door he hoisted Cort's unwilling body away from the mattress that was just beginning to burn and took him out of the room.

Zora and Zeto were both outside with King Nebular and Queen Minea, all disheveled with panic stricken looks on their faces, waiting for the confirmation that Cort was alive and uninjured. The first thing Cort thought of looking at the group was how horrible they all looked, and how Jette was probably still in his room and out like a light. Zeto's hair was sticking out at odd angles, and Zora's hair was oddly flat on one side. She hadn't taken off her makeup before she fell asleep and now eye liner was smudged all over her cheeks. His mother had the most concerned look on her face, though Zeto and Zora were both close seconds. Nebular looked forever stoic – nothing could shake him, at least not visibly.

When Cort was put down, he immediately fell over, now weakened from the overwhelming events. Gi quickly came over to help him back up, practically in tears. He had no idea that Gi could get so emotional over something like this. It was kind of comical; Gi was probably still drunk out of his mind. It had only been a few hours since they parted ways.

The sun was just beginning to come up over the pearly white marble of the courtyard walls. Cort had never seen a daybreak so beautiful.


	4. Before Destruction, Life

A month had passed since the fire incident. Cort's bedroom was being restored, but he had no intention of returning to it once the damage was finally cleared up. After that night he had put a bed down in one of the empty rooms in the laboratory; it wasn't cozy looking, but it didn't need to be. The bed was for sleep and for sex, not something that needed to look particularly admirable with the expensive bedding and carpeting he had in his old room. Besides, he barely slept anymore; there was too much work to be done. When he did sleep it was either because he was exhausted enough to collapse after forty-eight straight hours of work, or because he needed more instruction from the deity that had offered to assist him, as it only communicated with him in his dreams.

The secrets it offered were promising and not too complicated, but it guaranteed that it he were successful in the simpler things, it would allow him an ultimate gift that would give him the ability to create a weapon that could wipe out Sol in one shot. In his mind he envisioned Juggernaut, its body high over the treetops, its mouth a cannon annihilating everything in its path. He had asked the great Ra-Seru about Juggernaut before, and it confirmed that such a Seru existed, but had not gotten anywhere close to its full potential, and thusly should be left in the caves of Ratayu for now. Cort would work to establish a more positive relationship with Van Saryu so when the time came to seize Juggernaut he could catch his relative by surprise. In the meantime, the great Ra-Seru, its name revealed as Rogue, instructed him first as how to create a Seru more powerful than most found in nature.

It was not as easy as Cort had hoped to create a man-made Seru. Rogue had made it sound so simple, to fuse the pieces of different Seru to form a new one, but Cort had already spent two weeks and several valuable Seru on the project, and the resources were allowed to him for his research. The husks of deceased Seru he sent away to be made into armors so that they weren't wasted completely, but it would be much more satisfying to make a new, powerful, _living_ Seru rather than expensive armors made of the ones that his experiments failed with.

Jette was the first to suggest that something may be missing, a vital element that the Ra-Seru Rogue had omitted from its instructions, something that he and Cort needed to figure out on their own – a Seru secret that Rogue could only lead them to, not tell them directly.

"It's clear that we're missing something! It's impossible to create something living out of dead products," Jette said, "I doubt that this Rogue would give you the secret of giving life to something dead just like that. It may have told you that this recipe is a simple one, but there is a complexity here we haven't considered: how do you give life and power to something that is deceased and without energy?"

Jette was right. Cort could feel it immediately; Rogue was keeping the Seru secrets it had promised to itself. It didn't trust him, a human, to be able to handle Seru knowledge. The past month was a waste of time unless he and Jette could somehow find a way to play Tieg and make something out of nothing, as Tieg had created an entire universe of life out of the ether.

Maybe Tieg was the answer; maybe he needed direct consult with Tieg to gain the answers that Rogue could not – or would not – give him.

"Jette, I believe we must consult the High Priest. Fetch Zora immediately," Cort had hoped to keep the operation between Jette and himself as scientists, but now deities were involved in his research, and consulting the head of religious affairs in Conkram was becoming more apparently necessary.

"Yes sir," Jette bolted from the room, wondering whether or not Zora could provide them with the answer to defeating this stymie that blocked them from reaching their first goal in constructing powerful weapons.

It was nighttime outside, but in the lab time had no significance. He and Cort would work late into the night, and often enough into the next day. As Jette emerged from the stairs that led to the underground lab, he wondered what day it was, how long he had spent with Cort now working on this project. He wondered if it was even an hour that Zora would be awake at. He knocked lightly on her door.

She was quick to answer it, though she looked a bit abashed when she realized who was at the door. There was a green clay masque on her face and she was wearing her night clothes already. Behind her in the common room sat the Delilases. Gi was reading something, but briefly looked up to quickly acknowledge Jette with a wave and a smile before returning to his hobby. Che was, oddly enough, folding small pieces of colored paper into different animal and plant shapes; he didn't look up to see who was at the door, completely absorbed in his work. Lu was not present, but Jette noticed that Gi would occasionally look up to gaze at the courtyard behind Jette with a slightly worried expression on his face.

"The Prince requests your presence in the lab, lady High Priest," Jette announced, though his voice was slightly weak and tired.

Zora excitedly nodded and dashed away from the door for a moment to put on appropriate attire for an audience with Prince Cort. She didn't know how she could possibly assist in his research and experiments, but she would do anything to help him.

Before Jette left with Zora, Lu Delilas finally returned. Now both Gi and Che looked up from their entertainment to see if she had anything to say after her disappearance, but she ignored their expectant glares and proceeded straight to her bedroom without a word. Gi slammed his book down and took off to his own quarters to sulk; Che resumed his paper folding, smiling as he put the finishing folds on an elaborate flower.

As they descended the white marble stairs together, Jette asked, "What time is it, Zora?"

She produced a pocket watch from her robes and looked hard at it in the dimming light for a moment, "Two twenty," she replied. Jette sighed. He had completely lost track of time. He didn't even know what day it was, "I thought you had the same watch as me," Zora added.

Jette shrugged, "It's in my room. I haven't been up there for a while."

"Is the Prince getting close to a breakthrough? I know you two have been working on a big project over the past few weeks."

"It has been frustrating. We've reached a conclusion that we need the assistance of the deity Tieg, which is why the Prince sent me for you."

Zora gave a quick sigh of relief. She had been secretly worried that Cort would want to conduct some kind of strange experiment on her that would make her grow wings or turn her skin blue or worse, kill her.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, both were surprised to discover Cort sleeping, slumped over his work table and tools with his eyes closed.

Jette smiled, "Ah, finally, I can go sleep."

"Should we just leave him here?"

"His bed is in one of the other rooms down here. Do _you_ want to move him?"

"Not by myself."

Jette laughed, but quietly, "Let's not disturb him. I'd hate to wake him up and have him put us back to work."

"How long have you been working for today?"

"I don't know. What day is it?"

"Thirty-five days into autumn."

"Well then, this is my third day straight working."

Zora's eyes widened, "Are you alright?"

"Haven't started to hallucinate yet, but I might if I don't get to my bed soon."

Jette turned the lights and machinery off before heading back up the stairs. Zora remained behind for a just a few moments, wishing she could reach out to reassure Cort that his labor would pay off soon, to soothe his weary shoulders and back from his burden. But then she turned and left as Jette had done, feeling a dull pain in her own shoulder blades that she could not quite place, knowing that she would be willing to suffer so much more for her Prince. When she returned to the common room, all of the Delilases had gone off to their separate quarters. Che had left a few of the folded paper lilies behind on the table, gathered together with a black ribbon. Somehow they made Zora sad.

As Jette passed through his own common room to his bedroom, it was apparent that someone or several people had been drinking something expensive earlier in the evening. He wondered if there was any left that he could pilfer to drink before he went to bed, to help him sleep better. After a few minutes of searching he gave up. He would probably be able to sleep for days without it anyway, but something told him that Cort would come calling for him within the next ten hours. He would treasure what sleep he could get.

Cort slept soundly on the table, his face buried in his folded arms. Exhaustion had finally claimed him. Yet while his body rested, his mind and spirit did not. Even in his sleep he was still tormented by the challenge that this whole project was turning out to be, and he was often disturbed in his sleep by the Ra-Seru Rogue.

Tonight Rogue said, "The answer to your question is right in front of you."

"Where?"

"There is no life without birth, Prince. Remember that to die, one must be born. After death, there is life again."

"How can I make something live after it is merely a shell with no energy in it?"

"Within the shell, there is new life."

Cort shouted now, "You're speaking in circles, Ra-Seru! I don't understand!"

"You humans bury the dead, but you Prince, you have buried the living. Life is beneath you. Bring it to the surface."

And then, like lightning, it hit him. Rogue had told him before to use the egg's power, but he had no understood how. If he incorporated the egg into the assembly of the man-made Seru, maybe it would act as a power core, as something to fuel the creature anew.

Cort shot up from his doze, feeling more energized an eager to work than ever before. He did not know what time it was; the lights were out and Jette was gone.

"Never mind that," he said to himself, "I can do this by myself now."

He pulled forth his blueprints for assembly and studied them again. It was all coming to him now, so fast that he would barely write it down quickly enough. He felt like a manic musician composing a masterpiece, knowing without thinking what the next notes should be, all of the movements coming naturally, as if they were not his own but those of some greater power beyond him.

Gathering his new Seru subjects and the glowing egg from beneath the floor tile, Cort set to work, the smile on his face growing as the pieces came together before his very eyes.


	5. Caruban

Jette was surprised when he woke up. He was surprised that it was dark, and he was surprised at how well rested he felt. Had he slept from one morning into another? And why hadn't Cort come looking for him yet? It all seemed odd, that he could possibly be out for a full twenty-four hours without interruption. Jette reached over to the top drawer in the night stand and fished around in it until it produced a silver pocket watch. He flipped it open to find that it was five in the morning, and that he had been asleep for more than a day.

His next feeling aside from apprehension was worry; what had happened to Cort that he did not call upon him? Was he still asleep too? Jette doubted it. Cort wasn't a heavy sleeper before research began, and now that he had something to wrap his mind around sleep would come less and less easily. Jette had not bothered to put on his night clothes before he fell asleep; he had simply shed as much heavy clothing as he could before collapsing into his bed. He felt dirty and like he must smell horrible, but his curiosity to find out what exactly Cort was up to trumped his need to be clean or clothed. Still in his pants and boots from the night before, he rushed to pull on an overcoat and his gloves before dashing out of his rooms and into the courtyard.

The sky was barely getting lighter as he walked over the white marble pathway, still shining and beautiful in the slowly fading moonlight and first signs of new daylight. Usually he would stop to admire the scene, a feeling of melancholy washing over him, but now was no time for deep reflection and pretty, silly thoughts. Now was a time for science, a time for discovery.

As he ran down the marble stairs leading to the lab, skipping two or three at a time in his haste, he could hear loud noises. Crashing movement. Gasping. Then laughter, piercing and bizarre, full of a glee that Jette had never witnessed before. His worry rose as he leaped down the last few stairs, rushing into the wide cavern of a lab to find the source of the noise.

"Jette!" a voice screamed just as he arrived in the threshold, "Holy shit, mother of Tieg, lord of heaven and dreams, holy fucker! JETTE!" It was Cort. He was ecstatic, so happy that he looked mad. Jette actually backed up a few paces before Cort was up against him in a messy, squirmy embrace, arm and hair flying everywhere, "Jette, do you see it? Holy – oh Tieg – I never thought it could – oh GOD!"

Jette was trying to see what Cort was shouting about through all of the movement and excitement thick in the air. He placed his hands on Cort's shoulders to attempt to still his wild movements. Before surveying the room again he couldn't help but look at Cort's physical state. His skin was white and clammy, his eyes wide with deep, unsightly bags furrowed into his lower lids. His shirt collar and all of his clothes in general were a mess, as was his hair, which was untied and flying out in all directions.

Cort looked like he was about to smack him, but still smiling wide, "A breakthrough!" he managed to pant. He looked like he would pass out any moment. Keeping his hands on Cort's shoulders to steady him and make sure he didn't collapse, Jette peered across the room and nearly dropped to the floor when he saw it.

The seru was a giant in the room, bright red with glowing yellow eyes and a blue mane. More imposing than the size of its body were its long fangs and claws. And suddenly it looked as if it would attack, opening wide its mouth as long, blood red wings spread out from its sides, fire in the back of its throat.

Then Jette really did drop to his knees, unconscious.

Was it a dream? Had that glorious creation really been in the room? When he finally came to, he wondered what had just happened, and whether or not it was reality or some hallucination from lack of sleep that finally snared him.

"W-what?" he managed to mutter, his voice very low and solitary. From what he could gather from his still blurry vision, he had remained in the lab, and was probably laying on the couch in the hall off of the main room. Then footsteps were coming. They pounded painfully in his ears, as if he were hungover.

"Jette?" it was Cort's voice, now considerably calmer than before, its pitch no longer breaking in ecstasy. Cort's voice was even and quiet, maybe a bit shaky and distant.

Jette tried to fix his eyes on Cort's disheveled body. His hair was a little tamer, but he still looked like a horrible mess. Jette couldn't seem to focus completely, like there was an amber haze around Cort's body, "What just happened?" he asked the the dim vision of Cort. Where in the room had the beast gone?

Cort didn't bother to answer Jette's question. He immediately jumped into a rushed tirade of explanation for everything that had transpired while Jette had been out of the room for the day. Jette couldn't catch most of what Cort was saying, only understanding small bits of it. From what he could hear, Cort had just spent the past day piecing together varied Seru parts and that he found the secret key that they had all along – the egg from Uru Mais. He had apparently only used a piece of it, a Shard, to bring the hybrid into living existence like a power core feeding energy into the creature. Cort explained that he would show Jette the plans later when he was better and that he had contacted Zeto and Zora and Dohati and that they were on their way to see this. The Delilases were coming too, to help complete the experiment.

"So that thing was real?" Jette asked, not expecting to be answered.

Cort merely gave a quick nod, though it wasn't very reassuring.

Zora was the first to arrive, followed quickly by Zeto with Lu close behind, then Che and Gi, then Dohati shuffling as fast as his body could manage. They were all in various states of disarray, being that it was still not completely light out yet and they had all been expecting a good half hour more of precious sleep before their daily duties commenced. Jette couldn't help but be amused at how everyone in the room looked horrible, despite attempts to look like their usual polished selves.

Zora's hair was flat again and her eye liner and rouge was slapped on haphazardly, and Lu looked very similar. The two looked as if they could be related, though Lu looked much more disturbed than the expectant looking Zora whose eyes darted around the room as if she expected Tieg to appear in their presence that very moment. Zeto was red in the face and surly looking, tapping his foot as if the reason for this interruption was not satisfactory, he would claw the room apart. Dohati appeared to be falling asleep in the spot, his head tucked down like a bird. Che looked confused but fairly pleasant while Gi continuously shot dirty looks at Zeto, as if trying to glare a hole into the back of his head.

Before anyone could ask questions, the roar of the fire beast in the next room boomed through the entire kingdom, and soon Cort's small audience of his most trusted friends would become the entirety of Conkram, and soon the forces of Sol would know the might of Caruban.

**Yeah, this chapter is lazy and short, but I just wanted to let the three people that read this story know that it is still up and running, and soon summer break will be upon us and I'll have time to write longer chapters and what not. I decided on Caruban to be Cort's first man-made Seru because its the first Seru other that Juggernaut that we see to be directly related to the villains, namely Zeto in this case. Caruban also appears twice in Rogue's Tower, and since Cort is getting his instructions from Rogue it makes sense that he'd stumble upon Caruban, and I guess Berserker next. **


	6. Then There Were Four

**As per always, I do not own these characters. Up until now I have done a lot of speculating and happily used artistic license to try to fill in the blanks between canon facts to make an interesting story. Please do expect more speculation, artistic license, and plenty of possible inaccuracies, though I am trying diligently to leave the canon intact amidst my storytelling. A quick reminder, the story is obviously peppered with some language and will definitely later contain violence, and possible sexual themes and drug use.**

_Dearest Cousin Van Saryu,_

_I am certain the island and southern kingdoms have heard of Conkram's recent victories in the war against Etora and Sol. General Gaza remains a formidable opponent, but in the past year and a half the Court Scientist Jette and I have given Conkram two weapons: the Seru Caruban and Berserker which are dominating the battlefield. The two are unbelievable creations to imagine, I believe you would have to see them for yourself to truly realize what they are capable of. Conkram is most fortunate to have discovered the science to create these spectacular miracle Seru._

_I know that you too are a man of science and are probably interested in the processes we are perfecting for these powerful Seru, just as we are interested in the potential of your underground caverns. Certainly some understanding can be made between our respective scientists and the roving scientist Dr. Usha to facilitate the assets of Ratayu._

_Please send word, if not in politics or science then in familial love. _

_May Tieg's love continue to shine upon your glorious capitol._

_Cousin Cort_

As Cort reread the letter he was going to dispatch shortly, he was briefly surprised to realize that a year and a half had truly passed since Rogue revealed Caruban to him on that night in autumn when he had just barely turned sixteen. Though his father had been nervous and hesitant to send the beast Caruban into the battlefield against Sol, the decision was passed shortly and was followed by great successes, though the powerful General Gaza still remained a great force, and Sol quickly updated their own weaponry. The prototype of Caruban was soon after followed by the prototype of Berserker, a large and lanky Seru that's great strength was its toxicity rather than fire. Again victories followed, and again Sol and Gaza rose to the challenge. New versions of Caruban and Berserker were put into action just a month ago, and Cort was satisfied with their work, but he knew that Sol would only continue to put its resources into matching and conquering the beast Seru.

Cort knew he needed a truly great, unstoppable weapon that even Gaza's series of Seru Swords could not defeat, and so Cort was calling upon his cousin Van Saryu the ruler of Ratayu as he had planned to do much earlier than now. Dohati had long pushed for Cort to contact Van Saryu in hopes of using the underground caverns Ratayu possessed, though Ratayu was trying to remain neutral in the war efforts.

If Cort could win Van Saryu's support, then perhaps King Nebular would cease his insistence on delaying the Seru weapons from entering the battlefield. Zeto and Dohati constantly ranted about it: King Nebular was only impeding the progress that his brilliant son was making. They had even dared to say late at night when no one was around to hear such treasonous speech that Cort should rule instead of Nebular.

Today, however, the chambers that Zeto, Dohati, and Jette kept were not buzzing with political arguments and war tactics. And today the public ceremony was not to celebrate yet another new weapon created by Prince Cort and Jette.

Cort was in their Common Room with Jette when there was a knock on the door. Jette answered to a frustrated looking Gi, wearing formal armor with the Conkram emblem on the breastplate.

"My lord, may I speak with you privately?" Gi asked, scowling at whatever was bothering him.

"Certainly," Cort replied. He and Jetter were also in formal garb. Today was a special occasion for one of Conkram's highest ranking officials, and Cort knew why Gi was angry about it.

When they were alone Gi immediately began to ramble, "Prince Cort, do you support this ceremony today? What is it? It's a sham! It's just a distraction for the commoners so they don't have to think about how soon enough our weapons are again going to be bested by Sol's General and his endless collection of swords from the gods. I mean no disrespect for what you have done to gain so many victories for Conkram, but we both know that Sol is much more formidable. The ceremony today is a distraction. You know there won't ever be a wedding."

Cort didn't know what would be the best way to respond. Everything Gi said was true enough, about the power of Sol, the constant need to create newer weapons if they wanted to keep winning, about the distractions that King Nebular was trying to create, and about the sham of an engagement that there was this silly ceremony for today.

"Gi, you know I agree with everything you say as a friend, but it's not my place to protest a ceremony my father called for. We both know there won't be a wedding, so be happy enough in that."

Gi gritted his teeth, "One distraction leads to another, and sometimes I worry that there will be a wedding if things get bad enough."

Cort put his hands on Gi's shoulders, "Trust me. Things will not get any worse as long as Jette and I can continue at this rate with our progress. Not why don't we just attend the ceremony like we're supposed to, watch them announce their engagement and have Zora bless it, and then pretend that it doesn't exist."

"I still want to cut that bastard's dick off for getting anywhere near my sister. I don't know what the hell she's thinking getting involved with him."

As his guard, Gi and Cort walked together to the city square where a crowd was gathered and just about all of the other officials were waiting.

Cort was worried and concerned for his friend Gi and for Lu's wellbeing, but he really had no say in the situation. King Nebular had approved the engagement and had also idiotically decided to make a big deal out of it. The King was trying to downplay his work; Cort could feel it. He had spent so many months and had gone so many nights without sleep just to achieve what he had managed so far, and the King rarely celebrated it. Rather, Cort's successes were met with skepticism and long testing periods that prevented updated weapons from being used immediately. If he were King... No, that was not the way to think, no matter what Zeto and Dohati would say about how he, Cort, should be King over his father. Cort didn't need to be King to do his job, but Nebular did get in the way of that often enough.

It was hard to sympathize with Gi's family feud when these taxing thoughts weighed heavily upon his mind. He also had some new information from the great Rogue that he needed to draw up plans for. Now that he had brought Caruban and Berserker from the Seru-kai into the human realm, Rogue had said there were more complex designs to be mastered; powerful man-made Seru called Sim-Seru that Cort would have to create without Rogue's assistance. Caruban and Berserker were created in Rogue's Tower in the Seru-kai, they were essentially pieces of Rogue that could act under Rogue's commands in the human world. But these Sim-Seru would be able to be created in completion in the human world. They could be worn by humans and were much more powerful than the average Seru that a person could wear. Rogue would not control them completely, Cort would. Rogue trusted Cort, and Cort was proud to have won a heavenly ally.

His focus now was on speaking to Jette as soon as this distraction was completed. It was hardly important enough to have this huge ceremony to announce the engagement of the middle aged Secretary to the considerably younger Royal Guard, but the King was losing some political ground with this ongoing war. Cort was making progress and Nebular was halting it, and people were beginning to take notice. These were not treasonous thoughts – they were common sense.

Conkram still stood high and ivory, a great city shielded by the mountain ranges, a pearl in the mouth of pebbles. The decorations were not excessive, but it was still obvious that the florist had received very good business yet again. The King was exchanging pleasantries with Zeto while those in attendance waited. There was some gossip and chatter in the throngs of citizens discussing how it should be Cort announcing his engagement, not the older but still admirable Zeto. The Prince becoming betrothed would be a much more important celebration. Cort smiled to think that even the citizens that had dutifully gathered anyway didn't see much importance in the festivity of the day. Even they found it unsettling that good news should come from any source but their brilliant Prince. Zeto was powerful and well-liked, but Cort was the ultimate center of attention in these times. He had potential, he possessed a great and unique mind, he would win the war with Sol that had gone on for well over a decade under Nebular's rule.

The occasion continued. Nebular presented the beautiful Lu Delilas to the audience, then to Zeto, and then presented both to Zora to be blessed. Zora called upon Tieg to bless the promised union, the formal gestures were made, etcetera. Cort stood where he needed to stand when he needed to stand in a particular spot. He spoke when he was supposed to. He smiled and nodded when expected to. His mind was on Rogue though, all the time. He also thought about how he needed to get back to the lab with Jette the second he was done with this.

The moment the ceremony was over he tried to escape, but was stopped in his tracks by his mother Queen Minea. As Nebular continued to look older and older under the stress of war, Minea continued to be beautiful and serene. Being in her calming presence did make Cort momentarily forget about Rogue and his pursuits. He swore that his mother's prayers were the only ones heard by Tieg.

"Cort," she said, a worried look coming over her face, "I rarely see you anymore. I assume your laboratory is where you are headed."

Cort nodded, "Yes, mother. Jette and I have a lot of work to complete."

Minea briefly touched his shoulders, then his face, and she looked at his violet and blue eyes with her green eyes. She looked sad and worried. She looked older, just for an instant. She looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

Cort felt sad for a moment too, standing in this transient, silent moment with his mother.

"I pray to Tieg for you everyday," she said, and did not wait for a response before she left.

Surely she was praying for his victory. He did have Tieg on his side. And Rogue. He had Rogue, who was undoubtedly a gift from Tieg. But Rogue listened to his prayers, and only his.

Queen Minea walked with Lu back to her chambers. Though Lu had just been the center of attention briefly, it did not change the fact that she was constantly on duty as the Queen's Guard. She was happy to be able to spend time with the Queen though; Minea was understanding and wise and Lu felt that she could speak comfortably with the Queen and come to understand the things in life that troubled her through conversing with the Queen.

"Lu, Secretary Zeto is very fortunate to be engaged to you," Minea said as they walked.

Lu nodded, "I'm very happy to have him, my Queen."

Minea frowned slightly, "Is something bothering you? You seem concerned."

Lu didn't know how to respond. If she answered truthfully, she would tell the Queen that she doubted that Zeto would ever actually marry her. She would tell the Queen that her brother was furious and was barely spoke to her since her relationship with Zeto became known to him. Lu wanted to ask Minea if she had ever doubted her marriage, but that would be asking too much personal information of her Queen.

But Lu did not respond truthfully. Instead she said, "I am worried for Cort as well."

Minea nodded, "He's a driven young man. I just don't want to see him become so consumed in his work that he becomes another person." Minea realized that Lu's concerns were not for Cort and added, "I was afraid when I was engaged. I barely even knew Nebular. I'm happy that you had to opportunity to know Zeto before arranging a betrothal."

"Did you ever fear that he wouldn't marry you, or that you would be miserable in your marriage?" Lu hoped she wasn't going to far.

"I feared both. But when I came to know Nebular I did grow to love him, and he grew to love me. It was difficult that so early in our marriage we faced the possibility that we would not be able to have children, and Cort was a gift from Tieg. He was the heir our kingdom wanted and the son that Nebular and I prayed to Tieg for. And then we were faced with the rebellion of Sol and the war. Our marriage has faced many tests and great stresses and burdens, but Nebular and I do still love each other and we give each other strength. I hope that Tieg grants you security in your love and future marriage."

They had reached the Queen's chambers and now Lu could depart. It was already late in the day and soon the King would arrive as well.

Lu bowed and graciously said farewell, finding new hopes and newer fears for her future.

While waiting for Nebular to return to their chambers, Minea went up to the roof to watch the sunset and say her evening prayers to Tieg. She prayed for Zeto and Lu, but was more focused on her concerns for Cort. She was proud of his progress and his work and had no doubts that he was a fine young man with a bright future as the heir to the Conkram throne. Though his work was great and beneficial, Minea could not help but worry that he would become obsessed. Cort already spent most of his days and a great deal of his nights working nonstop on his latest plans with Jette.

"You look beautiful."

Minea turned around to see her husband coming up the stairs behind her. He looked tired and weary, but still managed a smile for her.

She smiled back, "You look...beardy..."

Nebular wrapped his arms around her, "Thinking about our son?"

"How did you know?"

"Because I think your prayers are being answered. The progress he makes is incredible."

Minea looked out at the mountains, "I think he feels like you're not supporting him enough."

Nebular sighed, frustrated, "I know, but what else can I do? I know he's eager to see his work on the field, but it's not safe to just send out these powerful weapons without observing them first. People could get hurt if I didn't enforce a waiting period on him."

"I know. But maybe you could visit him in the laboratory and give him some encouraging words. He needs to know his father wants to be involved with his work."

"It's hard to always be there for him when we've had a war that has lasted this long. It might be too late for me to be a good father."

"You're not a bad father."

Nebular did not respond but continued to embrace his wife and watch the sky get darker over the mountains.

As they walked to bed together he told her he loved her.

"It sounds like a mind control device," Jette said, looking at the notes that Cort had made.

"Well, we're not going to do anything maniacal with it. The Sim-Seru aren't for brainwashing people, they're going to be used for attaining and more powerful, more organized, and more precise army. Yes, we have Caruban and Berserker tearing through the battlefield, but imagine a whole army of humans with ultra powerful Seru all attached to the same information source."

"So the whatever you know and command, the soldiers know and act without the need for any verbal communication."

"Right, it will be entirely telepathic," Cort replied enthusiastically. It wasn't difficult to get Jette to see things his way, "So are we going to get to work on this now?"

Jette looked at his watch. He doubted Cort would actually give him the option to get some sleep before starting this project, but it was worth the hazard anyway.

"Why don't we start before dawn tomorrow?"

Cort looked slightly miffed, "Why don't we start now? I've been waiting all day through that stupid ceremony and just spent two hours explaining Rogue's instructions to you."

"If I could clone myself, Cort, I would happily work for you at all hours of the day. But I honestly think that we can work more efficiently and for a longer period of time if we both get some sleep before starting. We have limited resources and this is going to take a lot of concentration to succeed on the first try."

Cort was quiet for a second, "You can still sleep?"

"What?"

"I have my orders, and I can't rest until I've completed my job. Even if I did manage to fall asleep despite the stress and excitement, I would just dream about it and wake up feeling even more tired than before."

Jette looked at Cort's wide eyes. There were dark circles under them and Cort looked completely unstable.

"Cort, just...try. Even if you only get an hour of rest out of the whole night, it will be better than starting this project and not sleeping for three more days and passing out the second it's finished. This isn't a healthy pattern. I can provide you with some medication that might help you get to sleep faster. At least sleep somewhere other than the lab. I know your chambers have been down here since that fire, but you could even take my room for the night and I'll sleep in the Common Room or something."

"You're offering me drugs and your bed?"

Jette wished Cort hadn't made it sound so odd, and smiled a little at the humor of it as he responded, "Yes, clearly I'm just trying to seduce you in your weakened state. I'm the state official who likes to prey on younger men."

Cort was laughing now, "I thought that was Zora."

"Ah but latest news would tell us that Zeto is a little more infamous for that right now."

Cort was now barely able to speak, "Zeto going after men?"

Jette laughed at his mistake, "No, no, I meant younger...persons."

"He did have to gall to get engaged to her though."

"True. So can this new project wait for morning?"

Cort gave a reluctant nod, "So where are these drugs you'll be giving me, Court Scientist?"

As he Jette had suggested, he gave Cort sleeping medication and let Cort have his bed for the night. He had actually insisted on staying in the room until he knew for a fact that Cort was asleep, and only then did he leave and start heading downstairs for the couch. Cort's last mumbled words before falling asleep had actually been about how unnecessarily creepy Jette was being by just standing there in the dark waiting to hear a change in breathing patterns or something. Cort could be amusing when he was tired as he was tonight, but there were one too many other times when he would just completely snap and just not be himself for hours before coming out of it. On other occasions Cort had collapsed after going without sleep for too long, and Jette worried more and more about Cort's health.

Dohati had already been asleep for hours and there was no sound to be heard other than the occasional snore, so it was safe to say that Zeto (and probably Lu) were both already in bed too. There were signs in the Common Room that there had been some drinking at some point in the evening, and the lipstick on one of the glasses was definitely Zora's, so he assumed that Zora and Che had come over earlier to congratulate Zeto and Lu in a less formal setting. Jette was missing out on these things – he was constantly in the lab for the past few months. He was there with good reason of course, and he loved his work, but before the lab was given to Cort and Jette managed it, he was capable of managing a personal life as well.

He then felt bad for thinking about his current position critically. Yes, he had less time to himself and most of his time was spent in service to whatever Prince Cort wanted him to do, but with Cort he was making so much more progress than when he went by orders directly from King Nebular. Under Cort, he was actually doing things that mattered, living up to his title.

Exhausted, he fell asleep quickly on the comfortable couch near the fireplace and the bookcases, the air smelling like an odd mix of old paper, burning wood, and wine. He wasn't too troubled to sleep yet, but seeing how Cort had become gave him concerns for his own future.

"_Jette."_

Jette thought he had heard someone say his name, barely a whisper.

"_Jette."_

The voice came a little louder now, androgynous. Or maybe it was a man and woman talking at the same time.

"_Open a portal. Your work will be in vain if the connection is not made."_

Jette mumbled a response in his sleep, "What? What portal?"

"_Your science can only take you so far. Seru Magic is needed."_

"I do not know magic."

"_You will learn."_

"_Zeto."_

"_Dohati."_

"_Zora."_

"_Jette."_

"_You will learn."_

**Gah, I spent forever trying to get my thoughts organized enough to write this chapter. Mist technology soon to come. Oh and drama. Lots of drama.**


	7. Ratayu's Abomination Part I

**Wow, so I see that it's been almost two years since I updated this story. I recently got an e-mail notifying me that someone had reviewed it, and felt compelled to come back, reread it, and see if I could salvage it and continue. I'm pleasantly surprised that there isn't too much I want to change, mostly some typos. So thank you, Anthony, for jogging my memory to get back to work on this. I hope any chapters that surface this summer will be up to par for my readers that I can count on one hand. Etc. Disclaimer yada yada, Legaia does not belong to me. On with the show!**

"The _bastard_!"

A crystal wine decanter shattered when it hit the wall, "I can't _believe_ this, I can't believe he would come all the way over here to do _this_!" Cort stomped back and forth on the metallic floor of the laboratory, completely enraged.

Zora was pacing back and forth in the same pattern as if she would somehow catch him, but at the same time seemed terrified to get too close. Jette, Zeto, and Dohati stood by with sullen expressions, Jette slightly further forward than the other two, as if he was the only one brave enough to stand a few inches closer to the raving Prince.

"He is no longer a cousin of mine! Tieg curse his happiness!"

Three months ago, Cort had sent a short letter to his cousin Van Saryu, the ruler of the island kingdoms in the south. Honestly, he had not expected much of a response; maybe a letter with the obvious answer of, "No, you may not involve me in your war by involving me in your experiments. The caves of Ratayu are off limits, and this is final."

Yet three months passed, and no reply letter arrived. Cort was actually ready to give up on attempting to secure the secrets of Ratayu when Van Saryu and an entire royal entourage arrived in Conkram unannounced. Even King Nebular was hesitant to let his own cousin into the city, having appeared so randomly, but he could not turn family or possible ally away.

When word of the arrival got out to the citizens of Conkram, rumors and excitement spread quickly from home to home. Most were convinced that Prince Cort's superior negotiating skills and intellect had attracted Van Saryu's attention, and this was but further proof that Prince Cort was going to win the war against Sol, and that he would be a great king the moment his father was no longer. Surely Van Saryu intended to lend his own men and weapons to the Conkram cause after so many long years of frustrating neutrality. Some thought that as Van Saryu was an intellect and scientist like Prince Cort, he too would shut himself away in the laboratory, and within the days following glorious war beasts would emerge to trample the unmatched General Gaza into the battlefield, and the city of Sol along with him.

Officials nearly drove themselves into a panic attempting to make an impromptu reception for the unexpected visiting ruler. If Van Saryu wanted to meet privately with Prince Cort, he would have to wait through a banquet dinner at least. If Van Saryu wanted to meet privately with Prince Cort, surely he would have to meet with King Nebular first. Yet he explicitly stated that he was not there to speak with his cousin the king but with Cort, and none other, and this was allowed after a good deal of arguing.

Van Saryu was not usually one to look so serious and deadly. Aside from being a scientist, he was a philosopher and a poet; he was a romantic and it was well known. He had a kind disposition and the loving support of his subjects, and he refused to get involved in the war between Conkram and Sol on the same principle that King Drake had claimed. Surely, humans had so many times nearly wiped themselves out, and the Seru were a gift from Tieg to prevent them from doing so. And yet King Nebular and Emperor Etora and rulers before them had decided to use a tool from god as a weapon to try to destroy the human race yet again. He could not and would not stand for it.

As for what lay dormant beneath his own kingdom, it would remain dormant for as long as he could help it.

All through the rushed banquet, Van Saryu looked intense and serious and deeply troubled. One moment he seemed as if he would flip the table and scream, the next moment he looked almost as if he was about to cry. Cort hated being under his stare; it was unnerving. But Van Saryu spent most of the dinner staring in his direction with that mix of anger and pity on his fair face.

Though it was unusual for a meeting between royalty to commence in an underground laboratory, for people like Cort and Van Saryu it seemed only natural. Jette accompanied Cort under Van Saryu's invitation, after Cort insisted that any scientific questions would benefit from the presence of Jette. Van Saryu did not even bother to bring a body guard, and so only the three descended the dark stairs together.

"This is certainly a different way to respond to a letter," Cort was the first to speak, "I've never seen so many people look so panicked off the battlefield." He tried to jest, but his efforts fell flat as Van Saryu looked at the floor thoughtfully.

"What you are doing," Van Saryu begain quietly, but with something more seething beneath the soft beginnings of his statement, "is an abomination."

Cort looked baffled and Jette tried to seem unsurprised. Van Saryu repeated himself.

"This is an abomination."

Cort stifled a scowl, "Van Saryu..._cousin_, I do not understand how – "

"A filthy use of Tieg's gifts to the world. You are committing a grave wrong against all things living and all things in heaven, Cort," Van Saryu sounded like a religious zealot. The last Cort had seen him, he was jovial and smiling, reading bawdy poetry by a fireplace late into the night. Where had this frowning disparagement come from?

Van Saryu continued, "It is bad enough that you use a tool that helps humans live to kill so many. Now I hear you are creating beasts of your own."

"Cousin, you too are a man of science! You too have studied the Seru closely as I have, and often by my side! Naturally the next step in Seru science is to create our own, better equipped for our changing needs."

"Yes, but I would never use them in a pointless and endless war. I came here today to beseech you, to beg you to stop what you are doing before it is taken too far. I have been told that the prophet Hari has been in and out of deeper and deeper slumbers in Octam. When he is awake to speak, he says his eyes are clouded over, that there is threat from the north. I believe if Karisto continues to war as it has, the rest of the world at peace will be forced into involvement. You must find a different alternative," Van Saryu ranted, calming his voice and yet becoming particularly emotional when he spoke of Hari.

Cort scoffed, "The real threat from the north is Emperor Etora. If we allow him to, he will not only try to conquer Karisto, but he will reach his greedy hands into your kingdom as well, and into King Drake's. You know this. See reason!"

"How are you doing this?"

"What?"

"How are you doing this? Making new Seru? Bringing them to life?"

"Do you ask out of genuine curiosity or are you trying to find more reasons to insult my work?" Cort was not in a forgiving mood.

Van Saryu looked sad again, "I ask because I am worried. I am worried for my kingdom and I am worried for you, my family."

Cort did feel familial love for Van Saryu, When he was younger he had once visited Van Saryu in Ratayu, and was gladdened to find someone else with as deep a curiosity as his own. Part of him wanted to be more like the philosopher poet royalty that Van Saryu was, rather than a man who constantly had to think of war and destruction. But Ratayu was at peace. Conkram was not.

And he did want to tell Van Saryu all about the exciting communication straight through Tieg in the gift of Rogue. He was certain Van Saryu would be just as fascinated and would understand that it was Tieg that granted him this knowledge, that his work was not for continuing war but for ensuring peace. He wanted the war to end just as much as anyone else.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but that information is classified. I do wish I could tell you. Really."

"Then my journey here was wasted time."

"Don't say that. We are still family. You are still welcome here."

Van Saryu turned on his heel and said nothing. Cort and Jette did not follow him. He and his entourage left very early the next morning.

Cort was completely silent until the next night, hours after Van Saryu had left. That was when he began to shout.

And for some time, Cort stopped working. For nearly two years he had worked almost nonstop, but this argument with Van Saryu took its toll. He told Jette and he told himself that he had not stopped because he took his cousin's warning seriously. He insisted that he had stopped simply because the confrontation had drained him and he could not focus. Though he did not work he still did not sleep. When he dozed he did not dream of Rogue. When Jette forced him to sleep he did not dream of Rogue. He feared that Rogue had abandoned him. He feared that when Van Saryu had turned his back, so had Tieg. With his divine messenger silent, who would guide Conkram to peace? Would this war never end?

For weeks he did not speak about Rogue Shards or Seru Eggs or Sim-Seru or the Seru-kai. He barely spoke at all. Jette, Zora, and Gi were sick with worry. Zeto and Dohati arched their brows at this sudden uncertainty and instability. These were not the qualities of a great ruler. Perhaps they were right to wait and see this happen before they placed him on the throne.

Then one night, when he sat alone with Jette in the common rooms, he spoke, "Jette."

Jette's head bolted up to look at him, to make sure he was actually speaking, "Yes?"

Cort looked thoughtful, "Jette, you know the next Seru design we were talking about? The ones for telepathy between the soldiers?"

"The ones to connect to their minds, yes."

"How long do you think it will take for us to get some prototypes of those done?"

Jette shook his head, "Maybe a couple of weeks if we're lucky. But then we need to have them approved by your father, and you know how long that can take. I doubt he'll be quick to approve a weapon that sounds like something dangerously close to mind control. It's going to take some convincing."

"I know," he paused, "You should go to bed. I would like to write to my cousin. To apologize."

"So...you're feeling better now?"

"Much."


End file.
